Command Line Fundamentals

Master shell basics and Unix tools and discover easy commands to perform complex tasks with speed

Key Features

• Learn why the Bash shell is widely used on Linux and iOS
• Explore advanced shell concepts, such as pipes and redirection
• Understand how to use Unix command-line tools as building blocks for different tasks

Book Description

The most basic interface to a computer―the command line―remains the most flexible and powerful way of processing data and performing and automating various day-to-day tasks.

Command Line Fundamentals begins by exploring the basics, and then focuses on the most common tool, the Bash shell (which is standard on all Linux and iOS systems). As you make your way through the book, you'll explore the traditional Unix command-line programs as implemented by the GNU project. You'll also learn to use redirection and pipelines to assemble these programs to solve complex problems.

By the end of this book, you'll have explored the basics of shell scripting, allowing you to easily and quickly automate tasks.

What you will learn

• Use the Bash shell to run commands
• Utilize basic Unix utilities such as cat, tr, sort, and uniq
• Explore shell wildcards to manage groups of files
• Apply useful keyboard shortcuts in shell
• Employ redirection and pipes to process data
• Write both basic and advanced shell scripts to automate tasks

Who this book is for

Command Line Fundamentals is for programmers who use GUIs but want to understand how to use the command line to complete tasks faster.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to the Command Line
2. Command Line Building Blocks
3. Advanced Command Line Concepts
4. Shell Scripting

Vivek N is a self taught programmer who has been programming for almost 30 years now, since the age of 8, with experience in X86 Assembler, C, Delphi, Python, JavaScript, and C++.He has been working with the command line since the days of DOS 4.01 and is keen to introduce the new generation of computer users to the power it holds to make their life easier.